Love Me Like You Hate Me

Episode 1 — The Girl Who Came Back The whispers started before I even stepped through the gates. “They said she transferred from the public school.” “I heard her mom works as a cleaner.” “Why is she even here?” I kept my head down, pretending not to hear them, but every word landed like a slap. Welcome to Westbridge High the school for the rich, the powerful, and the untouchable. And me? I didn’t belong here. Not even a little. I tightened my grip on my bag as I walked past polished cars worth more than my entire life. Students laughed in expensive uniforms, their confidence loud, effortless. Everything about this place screamed money, and everything about me screamed outsider. But I wasn’t here to fit in. I was here for something else. Revenge. “Class, we have a new student today.” All eyes turned to me the moment I stepped inside the classroom. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, but I forced my face to stay calm. “Introduce yourself,” the teacher said. I swallowed. “My name is Alessa Carter.” Silence followed. Then the whispers came again. “That’s her?” “She doesn’t look like much.” “She’s pretty… but still.” Pretty didn’t matter here. Money did. Power did. And unfortunately for me, the person who ruled both was sitting at the back of the class. Legs stretched lazily under the desk. Uniform perfectly worn but deliberately undone at the collar like rules didn’t apply to him. A silver watch glinted faintly when he shifted his hand. Dark hair slightly tousled like he didn’t care who watched him, yet somehow knowing everyone always did. His presence didn’t demand attention. It stole it. Him. Ethan Blake. Westbridge High’s golden boy. Rich. Untouchable. Dangerous. And the reason my life fell apart. His eyes lifted. And locked onto mine. Everything in the room faded. Slowly… deliberately… he smirked. Like he already knew something I didn’t. Like he was waiting for me. Like he remembered me. But that was impossible. He wasn’t supposed to recognize me. Not after all these years. Not after everything that happened. Still, my stomach twisted as his gaze stayed on me too long. Not casual. Not bored. Studying. Like I was a problem he was trying to solve. “Take the empty seat beside Ethan,” the teacher said casually. Of course. Of course my luck would be that cruel. Every step toward him felt heavier than the last. When I reached the desk, he didn’t move. Didn’t look away. Didn’t blink. Just watched me like I was walking straight into something I wouldn’t be able to walk out of. I sat down beside him, pretending he didn’t exist. Pretending my heart wasn’t racing. Pretending I wasn’t shaking. Then he leaned closer. Close enough that I felt the faint brush of his breath near my ear. “You look familiar,” he whispered. My chest tightened. I forced myself to stay calm. “I think you’re mistaken.” A pause. Then a low chuckle. Dark. Controlled. Dangerous. “Maybe,” he murmured. But his voice dipped lower. “Or maybe you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.” His fingers tapped once on the desk between us, slow, calculated. Then he finally looked at me properly again. And smiled like a secret. “And something tells me…” he added softly, “you didn’t come here by accident.” And he was right. I didn’t. I came here to ruin him. To make him feel every ounce of pain he caused me. To make him regret ever crossing paths with me. But what I didn’t expect… Was how dangerously aware he already was of me. Or the way my heart betrayed me the moment his hand brushed mine when he shifted his pen 🖊️. Warm. Steady. Wrong. Because revenge was the plan. Falling for him wasn’t.